


The Tiger Man

by QueenCarol



Series: Twists In Time [5]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Carzekiel, F/M, carol and ezekiel, ezecarol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:40:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24252214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenCarol/pseuds/QueenCarol
Summary: Carol watched it happen through the hospital's tv; the family enjoying the zoo, the child falling into the tiger den, the tigers approaching, and the brave man willing to risk his life to save the boy.She is ready to help treat and save him. What she isn't ready is for her heart to jump in her chest and her face to flame every time she's by his side.  AU. Part of Twists In Time.
Relationships: Ezekiel/Carol Peletier
Series: Twists In Time [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1750618
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	The Tiger Man

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier, King Ezekiel, Henry, Jerry, Shiva, and any other recognizable character or plot of The Walking Dead belong to AMC Network and Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics and Robert Kirkman.
> 
> In no way is the author claiming to own of any of the characters nor is there any economic/monetary gain at any time. The author is extremely respectful of the original creators and is willing to take down this work of fiction if requested.
> 
> No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Original characters are the property of the author.

They’d been following the news from the moment the accident had been announced. In between caring for patients, Carol had glanced at the small television screen more times than she could count. It wasn’t the latest model, far from it, but the muted tv with its grainy screen allowed them to keep track of major accidents so they could prepare accordingly.

This was a major accident waiting to happen.

Footage of the initial accident had been played on a loop for almost an hour, showing in detail what had happened. The man recording had been zooming in on the tigers as they went about their day in their zoo enclosure and just as he was zooming out and turning the phone down to record his son’s smiling face, he’d caught the moment the little boy slipped down into the pit. The mother, who had been holding the young child as he’d sat on the rail, desperately begged for help as the little boy tumbled down. In a heap, the young child landed on the grassy floor and laid still. The man zoomed in as far as his phone would let him and though many claimed it was horrible quality and nothing of the boy’s condition could be discerned, it was enough for Carol to see the rise and fall of the boys back as he continued breathing.

The tigers had obviously been interested and had approached almost as soon as the boy had dropped. This made the mother more hysterical which in turn attracted even more tigers. One of the tigers had been the most curious of all, slowly approaching the child and spending quite some time smelling the boy. Carol could see the little one tremble, no doubt in fear, which at least told her he was conscious. Before anything else could happen the video was cut short before it was repeated all over again on the screen.

The news reporter appears again as the repeated video gets abruptly replaced by new footage with the ‘live’ sign flashing in red. She catches sight of it as she pulls apart the curtain that separates her from one of her ongoing patients. More tigers seem to have approached the boy though their stance is far different from the first tiger. They hunch low, eyes focused on the boy who is now pressed against the side of the wall. The first tiger she’d seen stands between the boy and the other tigers, body poised to attack anyone who dared come closer.

It is all a bad combination that will end horribly. Something tells Carol that by the end of the day the hospital will somehow be involved. She can only hope they get the child out alive and all they have to worry about is the effects of the fall but she knows better, this is going to be far worse.

She soon gets distracted by her patients and loses sight of the developing story until she can get another glimpse.

“What is he doing?” The words are enough for Carol to turn away from her patient, a young woman with a broken arm about to be discharged, to look at the tv screen once more.

She quickly turns to reassure her patient that she will be back, then closes the distance between her and the tv.

She can’t believe what she’s seeing.

A man is walking into the tiger pit through a small door in the back. The camera zooms in on him, this time with better picture quality, and Carol immediately freezes. The man is handsome, there is no doubt about it, but he seems almost familiar. The wide shoulders, the dreads that were braided to be kept out of his face, the chocolate skin that seemed to glow. She feels a rush of shame when she realizes how she’s checking out the poor soul walking into the tiger pit and pretends to be jotting down something on the discharge papers. As she looks at the pages, she can’t help but wonder if she’d seen him in one of her and Sophia’s trips to the zoo. It had been a long time since they’d gone, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d seen him before.

“Now that’s a brave man.”

Her eyes rise once again to find the man on the screen. He’s slowly approaching the tigers, hands extended as if to plead with them. The shot pulls back to show half a dozen zoo caretakers attempting to catch the attention of the tigers from an opposite side-door while two guards point their rifles at the tigers, ready to shoot at the first sign of aggression. Besides one of the guards are two zookeepers holding on to a rope each as they slowly lower a flat board with security belts attached to it.

Carol approaches the nurses' station and leaves the papers she’d been holding. There’s no point in pretending she isn’t looking at the screen because everyone around her is doing the same, doctors and nurses alike.

“He’s gonna get killed.”

“Shhhh.”

They watch silently as the man continues to approach. The tiger who had been protecting the child paces back and forth, each time leaving more space between the child and the rest of the tigers forcing them to retreat as it snaps at them, swatting whenever they refuse to give way. As the tiger does this, the man hugs the wall, hands lowered until he reaches the boy. Instinctively, the little boy reaches for the man, wanting to be held, but the man stops him, and Carol thanks him. The less the child moves the better chance he won’t feel the effects for the rest of his life.

Seeing the man has reached the child, the two keepers lower the plank fast until the man catches it. He’s not dumb enough to give his back to the tigers but he works as quickly as he can given the circumstances. With gentleness and apparently no sign of fear, the man places the board on the floor and pushes it beneath the boy. He makes quick work of the belts to secure the child; one on the forehead, one on the chest, another on the boy's hips, and a final one on his ankles. He turns to give the signal to raise the child but doesn’t get far before one of the tigers seems to rev forward.

Carol gasps as she watches the protective tiger rush forward, stands on his hind legs, and meet the older looking tiger in the air. They bite, swat at each other, and fight for dominance.

“He’s gonna get hurt.” She whispers as she watches the man signal once more for the boy to be raised. The other two keepers raise the boy as fast as they can without jostling him but Carol continues to focus on the man, who waits until the boy is safe before even thinking about himself. It’s too late though and Carol knows it almost as soon as the man on the screen does.

With a final throw of all of its body weight, the elder tiger slams the protector to the ground. The poor tiger seems too hurt to continue fighting and gives up. Knowing that there is nothing stopping him from reaching the man, the tiger approaches its prey, ready to attack and claim the life of the brave man. Carol watches in bated breath, waiting for the attack as the rest of the tigers push forward.

“There’s too many.” She whispers with fear.

It all happens too fast; the tiger leaps, the man stumbles backward and down, and the guards fire. That’s all she sees before the feed becomes blurry as the camera is pulled back quickly. They can’t show the death of a person on live tv, Carol understands that, but her heart thunders, needing to know the man’s faith.

“Can I go now?” She recognizes the voice of her patient and quickly turns.

“Uh... yes sorry.” Carol gives a tiny shake of her head to clear her head before reaching for the papers. “There are instructions in here about your medicine, you have to read them carefully. If you have any question you can reach out to the phone number at the bottom of the form. Do not wet your cast, do not try and take off your cast. If itching is too strong you can gently scratch it but do not attempt to remove it.”

“Got it.” The woman reaches for her discharge papers and gives Carol a roll of the eyes. “Not my first rodeo.”

She watches her go without another word then quickly turns towards the tv where the news reporter is talking. She’s trying to figure out what he’s saying by reading his lips when the phone suddenly rings.

Carol doesn’t catch the beginning of the conversation but judging by the pointing the nurse is doing to the tv it has something to do with the man. She waits impatiently as the call ends then focuses her whole attention to the nurse. “They’re coming here!”

“Who?” The emergency room doctor sitting beside her, Dr. Cantas, asks not even lifting her eyes from the paperwork she was filling.

“The man and the kid, the tiger man, or whatever you want to call him. The guy who saved the kid that fell into the pit and the kid he saved. They are bringing them here. It’s bad.”

The room explodes into action, everyone preparing for the intake of both patients. They are all ready to do whatever it takes to make sure that both leave the hospital in better shape than what they are brought in.

“Pelet... sorry Mason, with me!” Carol is a recent divorcee and she’s gotten used to people quickly trying to fix the mistake of calling her by her married surname. It doesn’t bother her because they are at least trying to call her by her maiden name. Either way, she reacts quickly, trailing behind the doctor as they head to the ambulance entrance, changing their PPE in the process. “Anderson, Tyler, and Sanchez, you are with me too.”

“No! I’m going to need Anderson. He’s good with kids.” The second doctor announces as he reaches them. “You can have Díaz.”

“Fine.” Dr. Cantas agrees with him.

“Do we know how far the kid fell?”

“Far,” Carol replies as she adjusts her gloves. “He was breathing, seemed to be mobile from what I saw.”

“We are gonna have to rule internal hemorrhage as fast as we can.”

“And the man?”

“Attacked by at least one tiger.” She replies once again.

“That’s not going to be pretty. Diaz, page a trauma surgeon. I think it’s Dr. Reeves’ shift. We are gonna need bags of blood stat as well, get the bank to send them pronto.”

They wait because that’s all the can do. They are ready even before the far away sound of the ambulance’s siren starts filtering to them. Once it gets here everything will happen fast and there will be very little chance to take a breath. It will be all hands on deck at a thousand speed. Carol is ready.

The first ambulance comes in and they all take a step forward, ready to help in any way they can. They unload the little boy on the gurney, secured so that he will not move a single muscle. His still crying mom comes after him, scared out of her mind. Carol doesn’t fault her, if she were in the same position she’d be as hysterical as the woman is, even with her medical knowledge.

Seeing that she will not be needed yet for she is with the man’s medical team, Carol takes a step back as does the rest of the team. They let the doctors and nurses move through, stats being called out as the paramedics start the transfer of the patient into their care. They wait silently as the sirens start up again, this time approaching them at a faster speed. She doesn’t know what they will be facing but judging by how fast the sound seems to approach, she knows it’s bad.

When the ambulance does arrive, it does so fast and hard. The ambulance doors open before it’s even parked and the first paramedic jumps out, quickly turning and pulling at the gurney. “Forty year old male named Ezekiel Payton, got attacked by a tiger after saving a kid who fell in its den.”

It’s all they need to hear before they are swarming around the gurney, checking over the patient as the paramedics give them his stats and report his injuries, all while moving him away from the ambulance and into the emergency room. They are an effective team, helping each other all while seemingly reaching for what each of them needs. Carol keeps close to the man’s right side, where the biggest of his injuries is already bleeding through the compress.

“He’s got a laceration to his right side which extends from his back to his hip, his right arm exhibits deep puncture wounds where he was bitten, his right radius seems to be intact but you can definitively see it if you lift the compress. Various lacerations on legs and hips, non-life threading but deep as hell.”

“We are gonna need units of blood.” The doctor calls out over the chatter of the working nurses.

“We have a pulse pressure of 23 mmHg and dropping.”

“That’s not good. Page the OR.”

The moment the doctor, who has found her place standing beside Carol, lifts the compress two things happen at the same time that turn the room from organized chaos to pandemonium. Blood, more than Carol has seen that day, starts oozing out of three large incisions, coating the surrounding muscle and skin with red. The man, who up until that point had remained unconscious, jolts awake and starts panicking. He quickly pushes the doctor away and attempts to get up, when that doesn’t seem to work he raises his leg and starts kicking, sending the paramedic who had still been near his feet staggering backward.

“Shiva!” He exclaims loudly as he fights, blood going everywhere as the doctors and nurses attempt to keep him down. He is but one man but he is strong. “Shiva! Don’t hurt Shiva!”

Being the nearest to him, and the one less splattered by his blood, Carol leans over so her face hovers over his. “Mr. Payton? Can you hear me? If you can, I’m going to need you to stop struggling. You are at the hospital, we are trying to help you.”

“Shiva! Don’t kill her!”

“Mr. Payton, please I need you to calm down.” She continues talking to him in a calming tone that will hopefully help him relax. Around them, the doctors continue doing the best they can to restrain him and treat him at the same time but the rush of adrenaline he is going through makes it hard for them.

Deciding to change her tactic, Carol takes advantage of the doctor moving away and reaches for his hand. She squeezes it to get his attention. Wide eyes turn to look at her. They are full of pain and fear but Carol can see the fear is not for himself. Whomever this Shiva is obviously very important to him.

“Mr. Payton,” she says his name once again while keeping direct eye contact. “Is Shiva... is she one of the tigers?”

“Yes! Shiva!” He declares. She can see his eyes are searching her face, trying to recognize her and being unable to.

“Is she the one that attacked you?”

“No!” He seems almost appalled that she’d even thought to mention Shiva being capable to hurt him.

Carol quickly remembers that there had been a tiger who had protected the boy and asks if that was Shiva. “Is she the one that protected the boy?”

“Yes!”

Someone must have done something that hurt him because his hand tightens hard around her hand and his eyes screw shut.

“Breathe,” she reminds him. “Breathe through the pain.”

“We have to get him to the OR now!”

“Please,” Ezekiel begs to her through clenched teeth. “Don’t let... them kill her... don’t let... any of... them die.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure they know they didn’t mean harm.” Carol says to help calm him down further. “They were simply following their instinct.”

“Please.” He’s turning pale right in front of her. She knows he’s about to pass out, his lips turning ashy, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. “Please.”

She doesn’t know what to tell him. She knows he’s holding on, fighting through the pain, so that she’ll reassure him. But how can she? She’s not sure if Shiva is in danger. She doesn’t know how the other tigers will be treated either. Yet, her need to reassure him, to assuage his fears, grows strongly within her.

“I’ll find out about them.” She promises him. “They are going to take you to the OR for surgery, Mr. Payton. Meanwhile, I’ll find out about them, but you have to hold on and pull through, understood?

That’s all he seems to need in order to pass out. His eyes finish rolling to the back of his head, his whole body going slack on the table. He’s passed out from the blood loss and the pain.

“Go! Quick! We need to get him there pronto!” The doctor calls out and everyone moves together, Carol included, to transfer him to the OR.

Whatever happens next is out of their hands and in the hands of the surgeons. They have the best team and Carol knows they’ll do everything in their power to help the hero survive. She steps back only when it’s absolutely necessary and watches him being prepped for surgery. Everyone starts falling back, taking off their blood soaked protective gear and pushing it into the bin. They’ll go back to the ER, get the next patient, and continue on, but Carol has a promise to keep; she needs to find out how the tigers are being treated and she’s not going to stop until she has an answer for the kind man who had saved a child by putting himself in danger and who despite being almost mauled by one of them only cared for the tigers he worked with.

By the time he’s out of surgery, she will have an answer for him.

—

It takes Carol longer to find any information about the tigers than it does for the surgeons to finish Mr. Payton’s surgery. Between taking care of other patients and filling in the corresponding paperwork, she’d had to call three times before anyone was able to help. A man named Jerry had assured her that the tiger wouldn’t be sacrificed per the Zoo’s policy. They had all received tranquilizers and were sleeping it off. Thankfully, the tigers were safe and accounted for because she wasn’t sure how she’d deliver bad news to the kind man whose only worry were the tigers, even as he laid bleeding on the gurney.

Having clocked out after her shift, Carol takes full advantage of her ability to move in the hospital and slips into the recovery room to find him.

“Mr. Payton?” She asks the attending nurse.

“The tiger guy?” There is a certain type of praise in the young man’s voice which makes it obvious that he thinks highly of Mr. Payton. Though Carol doesn’t understand why it fills her with incredible warmth to hear it. Ezekiel certainly deserved praise after saving the young boy’s life and facing the tigers head-on.

“Yes. I heard his surgery was over.”

“Yeah, they were able to patch him up. He’s in cubicle four. He’s coming out of anesthesia.” Carol gives the attending nurse a smile and a little nod before making her way to the fourth cubicle.

Slowly, she approaches his bed and reaches for the patient’s paperwork before she remembers she‘s not on the clock and quickly pulls her hand back. He’s not her patient anymore and she has no right to see it. Shaking her head at herself, Carol walks to his side and looks down at him; he looks so calm and peaceful laying there like he hadn’t just faced death, like facing a tiger was nothing out of the ordinary.

Up close, Carol can see that he is a handsome man, with long eyelashes, a thick beard, and full lips. His chocolate toned skin has regained its color, leaving the paleness of blood loss behind. Her eyes settle on his lips as they part slightly, a soft breath leaving them. The thought of what his lips might feel against hers flashes through her mind, what they might taste like, quickly followed by a rush of guilt. She jumps back slightly and covers her reddened face even though no one can see her.

“Really, Carol?” She admonishes in a harsh whisper to herself. “The man just came out of surgery.”

Ashamed, Carol takes a couple of steps back. The sudden need to leave to save face fueled by the embarrassment of her thoughts is too strong to ignore. She’ll leave without him ever knowing she was there. He’ll probably have no recollection of her or of her promise to find out about the tigers, anyhow. By the time he fully wakes up someone from his family will be here and will be able to fill him in and all will be all right in his world.

Before she has a chance to turn away, his eyelashes twitch against his cheeks and his eyes move under his eyelids. A groan escapes his parted lips just as his eyes open. She knows what’s coming next because she has seen many patients come out of anesthesia during her years working at the hospital so she quickly reaches for his hand to give it a little squeeze and to prevent him from panicking.

“Mr. Payton?” She softly says. “How do you feel?”

Ezekiel groans, closes his eyes, and licks his lips to get them wet. He must be thirsty but without knowing what his water intake regime is, Carol is not going to risk hurting him. “Mr. Payton? Do you remember what happened?”

His brown eyes open again and move around as if he’s searching for her. She leans a little closer so that he’ll be able to see her and smiles when his lips pull into a huge grin that seems to light up the room. “Tiger.” He declares in a groggy voice.

“Yes, you were hurt by a tiger,” she agrees. “You saved a little boy's life today, Mr. Payton. You got hurt in the process and were brought to the hospital. You underwent surgery.”

“Heaven?” He whispers. “Am I in heaven?”

Carol smirks and shakes her head. “Not that I am aware of.”

“Are you... an angel?”

Carol blushes bright red. The poor man is drugged out of his mind if he thinks she’s an angel, especially with what she’d thought of his lips just moments ago. She’s also just finished a full shift in the emergency room and she knows there is no way that she looks anything like how an angel should look.

“I am not.” She assures him. “I’m one of the nurses that received you when you were brought in. Do you... do you remember?”

Ezekiel closes his eyes but tilts his head towards her, the smile never leaving his lips. He gives a soft hum which she takes as an answer to her question.

“When you came in you were very worried about the tigers.” Carol continues. “I... I promised I would check in on them for you. I talked with a man named Jerry, he told me that the ti-“

“You are an angel.” Ezekiel groggily interrupts her as he opens his eyes once again. “I know it. The most beautiful angel. I must be in heaven... to have the honor to gaze upon you.”

“I...I..”. It takes her a couple of tries to find her words but when she does Carol quickly reassures him once again that she’s not an angel. “Thank you, but I can assure you I am not an angel.”

He seems extremely confused for a second, his forehead wrinkling as he tries to understand what she’s saying. “You’re not?”

“Nope.”

A pout erases his smile which makes Carol feel guilty. This is obviously a man that is meant to smile, whose face is meant to be lit in happiness and not to be marred by confusion or sadness.

“Sorry.” She mumbles. She gives his hand a little squeeze.

As if just realizing that someone is holding his hand, Ezekiel slowly raises his hand up, taking hers along for the ride. He seems to stare at their hands forever, twisting his wrist from one side to the other, before he lets out another smile and lowers their hands again. “Am I the lucky fellow that gets to be your husband?”

“What?” Carol asks confused, trying to piece together what he’s mumbling. “No, sorry. I’m just... I’m just your intake nurse.”

“We aren’t married?”

“No,” she repeats. “I helped stabilize you before your surgery and I promised to look into the tigers for you.”

“Shiva?” Ezekiel’s eyes open wide. She can see the fear reflected in his irises but quickly realizes that it’s not fear born from what he experienced but for the tigers that he seems to care so much about.

Immediately, Carol feels the need to ease his worry. She doesn’t know the man, other than him appearing familiar and knowing about his act of heroism, but already she can’t stand the thought of him not being happy, even if it is partly induced by the drugs in his system. Before she knows it, the hand that isn’t holding on to his, raises and gently cups his cheek. Ezekiel leans against her touch, nuzzling her hand.

“Shiva is fine. I talked with a man named Jerry. He said to tell you not to worry. That all the tigers were accounted for,m and sedated, and the zoo wasn’t going to hurt them.”

“Good.” Ezekiel mumbles. “Not their fault.”

“That’s exactly what he said.” Carol agrees. “So... Shiva? The tiger that protected the little boy? You shouldn’t worry about her because she’s fine.”

“And the boy, my angel?” Ezekiel asks as he once again attempts to find her eyes. “Is he alive?”

“He is, thanks to you.” She quickly replies without correcting the sudden pet name he has bestowed on her. “You got him out of there. He has a broken leg but other than that and a few scrapes and bruises, he’s perfectly fine.”

“Thank the all-mighty.” He concludes with a grin before his eyes slowly close and he seems to settle down.

For a quick second, Carol wonders if he’s fallen asleep. His body seems to have grown heavy, his face moves back to that small smile that seems to naturally grace his lips, while his hand slacks in hers. She knows everyone reacts differently to anesthesia which is why the patients are kept in observation after surgery. Some patients get weepy, some are exhausted and some, like Ezekiel, seem to be extremely happy. What they all have in common though is slipping in and out of consciousness while their system works through the drugs so Carol doesn’t take it personally that he seems to have passed out mid-conversation.

Slowly, Carol pulls her hand away from his. She’s completed her promise and filled him in about the tiger’s safety and now it’s time to go home before she says or does something to embarrass herself. He’s had a stressful day and needs to rest and yet as soon as she breaks the physical contact, Ezekiel’s eyes slam open. “Don’t leave, my angel.”

“You need to rest, Mr. Payton.” She reminds him.

“Ezekiel.” He corrects her. “Please don’t leave.”

“Ezekiel, you need to sleep.”

“I will sleep, later,” he promises with a smile. “Let me just enjoy your presence a little longer.”

She can’t quite bring herself to say no, not to him. A quick glance at her watch tells her Sophia is still at school and other than having to eventually leave to pick her up, she has nothing else to do. “Fine,” she relents and closes the distance between them. “But only for a moment.”

Ezekiel grins again then offers his hand to her to hold. Carol smirks but reaches for his hand, their fingers interlacing. She hasn’t held a man’s hand in a very long time, at least not this way. The last time she’d done so had been with Ed and he’d held on to her hand painfully tight, a silent reminder of what he’d do the moment they were alone. Ezekiel’s hold is nothing like it; his strong large hand holds hers almost reverently, his thumb sweeping back and forth against her skin. There is no pain, no pressure, only a tingly sensation that she actually enjoys and which she’s never felt before.

“Are you sure you aren’t an angel?” Ezekiel’s loopy voice interrupts her thoughts.

She quickly looks away from their hands to look at his face. He’s staring at her with an expression that can only be described as absolutely smitten. If heart eyes were possible, Carol is very sure that Ezekiel would have them right now.

She can’t help the blush that takes over her face once again, the burning making her cheeks and ears turn bright red. She subconsciously reaches to push back a random curl from her face but when she finds none the blush grows even deeper.

“You are cute when you do that,” Ezekiel whispers, his eyes closing as his other hand rises and points in the general direction of her face. “The coloring of your face, it’s pretty. Your eyes look as blue as the ocean and... your freckles... how do you do it?”

“I don’t.” She attempts to deny his words though by the flaming she feels on her face she’s sure some of what he is seeing is real.

“I like you, my angel.”

“Ezekiel... I am not an angel.” She reminds him with a soft voice. She doesn’t want to see him pout but she can’t help but correct him.

“No?” He asks. His face doesn’t turn into a sorrowful expression, instead, he grins even wider. “That’s actually... magnificent.”

“It is?” Carol asks surprised.

“Hmmm hmmm.” He nods exaggeratedly. “That means I have a chance.”

Carol raises an eyebrow at his response. She’s not sure whether she should question what he means or simply let it go. Ezekiel ends up taking the decision from her when he opens his big chocolate eyes and centers them on her face. “If you aren’t an angel and I’m not in heaven, then that means we are alive and if we are alive then that means I can try and convince you to allow me to court you.”

“Court me?” She hasn’t heard anyone ever refer to dating as courting, at least not outside of the romance books she liked to indulge in. It tickles her that Ezekiel refers to it that way. Before she can stop it, a soft giggle leaves her lips.

“Flowers, dinner, and dancing in the clouds.” He punctuates each of the words with a nod of his head against the pillow. “If it pleases my angel.”

“But you don’t know me.”

“Just as Adam didn’t know Eve, Marc Anthony didn’t know Cleopatra, Zeus didn’t know Hera, Romeo didn’t know Juliet, Mr. Darcy didn’t know...”. He seems to falter in his listing of famous couples, his eyes misting over with drugged confusion.

“Elizabeth.” She completes it for him.

“Lizabeth.” He finishes with a drag of his word.

He falls silent as if he’s forgotten where he was going with his lists of names. Carol smirks for she finds his confusion endearing. She knows most of his words are induced by the drugs in his system, even reminds herself of it silently. It still makes something rush within her at what he’s proposing. She feels her heart leaping in her chest in a way she knows is impossible. Honestly, she should be running the other way; she’s just gotten rid of the terror that’s as her husband, the ink barely drying on the paper. The last thing she should be considering is going on a date with someone, much less a patient. Then why is her heart telling her that taking him up on his offer might not be that bad?

“You are beautiful,” Ezekiel mumbles again, his speech further slurring as sleep seems to pull him under. “May I court... you my... angel?”

She wants to say yes. The word is begging to tumble out of her lips. He’s handsome and seems kind. He saved a child then worried about the same tigers that had attacked him. He insists she’s beautiful and appears to think she’s worthy of getting to know. There’s also the fact that she is inexplicably attracted to him and that she’s sure she’s seen him somewhere before.

“I think he’s out like a light.” Carol jumps at the intrusion. The recovery nurse must have been hearing their conversation and snuck behind her. She quickly releases Ezekiel’s hand and pulls back, wrapping her arms around herself. “The wonders of anesthesia.”

“Yeah.” Carol mumbles as she steps back from his bed.

“He probably won’t remember a thing.” The young man assures her. “They hardly ever do.”

“Probably.” She knows she shouldn’t be feeling the letdown of his words, the sadness of Ezekiel not remembering her, but she does.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” the man continues, probably misunderstanding her expression. “He seemed smitten though. I don’t think he meant any of it in a disrespectful way.”

“I know he didn’t mean to be disrespectful.” Carol quickly defends him. She turns to look at Ezekiel, her lips pulling into a soft smile. Her hand rises before shes able to stop it and cups his cheek tenderly. “He’s a good man.”

“Want me to have someone page you with updates?” The nurse goes on as he reaches for Ezekiel’s charts. He pulls out a pen from his lapel and starts writing down Ezekiel’s stats before pausing and looking up at Carol as if he was waiting for the go-ahead to write down her name on Ezekiel’s file.

“No, that’s fine. I’ll check on him later.” As much as she wants to say yes, as much as she wants to keep tabs on him for as long as he stays in the hospital, Carol knows it’s not the right thing to do. The hospital has so many policies, so many rules for them to follow and she can not afford to lose her job when it’s the only thing keeping her and Sophia afloat.

With a sad smile that Ezekiel will never see, Carol pulls her hand back from his cheek. A small glimmer of something she can’t quite name, flares in her as he instinctively roots for her touch, as if he craves her touch. She mentally shakes herself and pulls back again. “Thank you for letting me see him.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

Carol bites her lip and turns away, pushing herself to leave before she changes her mind and puts everything on the line. She takes small measured steps out of his cubicle and towards the exit of the recovery room, every step harder to take than the previous one.

Before he’s completely out of sight, she turns and gives one last look at the kind, handsome hero she’d met today. If only she wasn’t a nurse who’d been in charge of caring for him. If only she’d met him and he’d ask to date her while being in his full senses. If only...

With one last thought, she finally steps out of the recovery wing; Ezekiel had been wrong, she was the lucky one to have met him, even if it had been only for a short, perfect, drug-induced moment.

—

Three days have passed and she hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Ezekiel.

“Mr. Payton.” She corrects herself in a harsh whisper for what feels like the hundredth time that day.

She’s tried everything she knows to stop thinking about him; from playing with Sophia, helping her with her homework and taking her to the park, to throwing herself in different directions to help as many patients as she can. It’s all been a mute attempt. Ezekiel seems to have embedded himself deep in her mind.

The way his eyes had looked at her, making her feel beautiful, the way his hand had felt when she held it, the way he’d leaned against her touch, the way he’d said he wanted to date her because she was his angel, it all seemed to have imprinted in her soul and try as she did she couldn’t get rid of it.

If she was being truly honest, she didn’t want to get rid of it.

Nothing could ever grow from it, she knew it; he was a patient at the hospital last she had checked and once he was discharged he would leave and go one with his life. She doubted she’d ever see him again unless it was at the zoo. Even then he’d probably be too busy dealing with the animals to mind her. Just because they had met once it didn’t mean that they would become one of the pairs he’d mentioned, didn’t mean they were meant to be anything other than what they already were; patient and nurse.

“You seem distracted, everything okay Carol?” The head nurse, a woman in her late sixties who refused to retire, asks her with concern.

“Yeah, everything is fine,” Carol assures her with a tiny shake of her head to clear her thoughts. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to space out.”

“It’s fine, you’ve practically been superhero all day with the way you’ve been rushing around from one patient to the next. If you need fifteen go ahead and take them.”

Knowing fifteen minutes is more than enough time for her mind to tempt her with snippets of the conversation she’d had with Ezekiel that will ultimately end with her battling the need to go see him, Carol shakes her head. “Thanks, really, but I’m fine.”

“Not asking, Mason.” The head nurse informs her. Though her voice sounds strict and her hand is signaling at Carol’s paperwork, a quick glance at her expression reassures Carol that she’s only looking out for her. “Take fifteen, go get some coffee, clear your head. You’ll come back ready for another round of saving the world.”

Unable to find a reason that would keep her from taking a break, Carol nods and hands over the chart she had been filling. “I’ll be right back.” She calls over her shoulder as she starts towards the cafeteria.

“Fifteen minutes!” The nurse reminds her. “Not a minute before, Carol Mason, or I’ll have you filling up paperwork all day!”

Carol chuckles but nods. She doesn’t doubt the playful warning, after all, there is always paperwork that needs to be filled, things that need to be transcribed and translated, and no one willing to do them.

Fetching her coffee doesn’t take her long at all, nor does finding a spot near the entrance of the hospital, tucked away from the eyes of the world. The warm coffee travels down her throat and warms her belly, making her sigh softly as she settles in her place. It’s a beautiful day and though she had been reluctant to stop her rushing back and forth between patients, she is glad the head nurse has made her leave her post if only to enjoy a glimpse of spring.

It doesn’t take long for her mind to go right back to what she’s been trying to avoid; Ezekiel.

Ezekiel with his shiny eyes despite the drugs that had been in his system.

Ezekiel with his chocolate skin.

Ezekiel with that apparent never-ending smile on what appears to be soft pillowy lips.

Ezekiel with those large hands that held her hand so tenderly.

Oh, how she wishes they’d met under different circumstances. Maybe then they could go on that date, maybe then he could court her, maybe then they could fall in love and have a future.

“Stop it, Carol!” She orders herself. She hangs her head low on her shoulders, her hand raising to rub at her temple before smoothing over her eyes. She needs to stop thinking about him and needs to stop daydreaming about what could be.

“I‘ve got this, Jerry.”

A voice she quickly recognizes as Ezekiel’s reaches her making her groan out loud. “Great, now I’m having auditory hallucinations.”

“You sure, boss?” A second voice she’s vaguely familiar with makes her look up. She inches a little out of her hiding spot to try and find the source of the voices though she’s not entirely convinced she hasn’t hallucinated them.

“Yeah, do not worry about my well being, my friend. Just... slow steps.”

Maybe she’s not hallucinating. Maybe the world has somehow aligned so that she is in a work break the moment he is being released. Maybe Ezekiel really is there.

“You got it, boss.”

She has to move further out, leaning away from where she seats to finally catch a glimpse of him. Even when being released, Ezekiel carries himself with an inner strength that seems almost inhuman. His steps are slow, a little wince in his expression here and there, but his back is straight and his head is held high.

A much bigger man hovers around him, making sure that Ezekiel doesn’t overdo it. He reminds Carol of a mother hen looking over her chick’s shoulder to make sure it's walking properly. When that is not enough, he moves in step with Ezekiel. Carol can’t help but let out a soft giggle as the man offers his arm to Ezekiel gallantly.

“Jerry,” Ezekiel says in a warning playful tone.

So that’s Jerry. He’s definitively not what she had pictured when she’d been on the phone with him. He was much taller and his face seemed to be much kinder. He seems to know Ezekiel well though as if they’ve been friends for a long time, as if they grew up side by side all of their lives.

“Yeah, I know boss.” He admits taking a step away and letting Ezekiel continue on his own. “You were swiped by a tiger though, I have a right to worry.”

“You worry too much, my friend.”

Slowly, Ezekiel and Jerry continue on their way, completely oblivious to the fact that Carol is observing them. They are steadily moving towards a car that has been parked in the drop off-pick up patient zone, each step carrying the kind man further and further away from her. An emptiness seems to settle in the pit of her stomach as she watches Ezekiel move further and further away. The thought that this could be the last time she ever sees Ezekiel leaves her chilled to the bone. It doesn’t feel right. It simply can’t be the last time.

“Stop.” She chastises herself, pulling back into her little hideaway between the hospital wall and the trees. “He probably doesn’t remember. What are you going to tell him? Hey, I’m the one you thought was an angel? Is the date offer still open? Stop it, Carol, stop it right now.”

But even as she says this under her breath her legs are moving to push her to stand then to walk. She quickly downs a huge gulp of coffee before letting the half-filled cup fall into the bin she passes on her way to him. Even as she rushes towards the pair she knows she’s not going to reach them in time, not before they pull away forever. Her heart thunders painfully as she moves faster in an attempt to reach them. She has no other option but to call out to him and hope that he still remembers her, if he remembers anything at all.

“Hey!” She calls out. Carol raises one of her arms and gives a little wave to catch their attention but there are so many people and Ezekiel and Jerry are so far away that they don’t hear her. She brings her hand down towards her lips and cups both of her hands around her mouth in the hope that it will create enough volume boost for them to hear. “Mr. Payton!”

Ezekiel looks up for a second as if he had heard her, but quickly looks down and continues on his way, closing the last space between him and the car door.

Carol curses before trying one last time, using the full force of her voice. “Mr. Payton! EZEKIEL!”

Ezekiel stops and turns, wincing when the movement no doubt pulls at the stitches on his side. His whole face breaks into a grin as his eyes settle on her. In response, Carol’s face blushes a bright pink, her face becoming hot all of a sudden. How can a man’s smile have such an effect on her?

When she finally reaches them, Carol lets out a sigh of relief. She didn’t miss her last chance to talk to him though now that she’s at his side she doesn’t quite know how to start. “Hi.” She finally releases in a rush. “Mr. Payton, I don’t know if you remember me, you probably don’t. I was your intake nurse at the ER.”

Ezekiel studies her though his smile never falters. “You helped calm me.”

“Yes,” Carol agrees. “I just...”.

She falters, unsure what to say. She can’t tell him she’s hoping he’ll remember their brief interaction at the recovery room. She can’t tell him that for reasons unknown to her, she feels a connection to him that goes far beyond the short time they’d known each other. She definitively cannot tell him about the date request she never got to answer or how she thinks he’s extremely handsome. She’d be far too mortified if he said he didn’t remember a single thing.

Deciding that she would like to remember their last interaction with fondness and not shame, she quickly decides to play it safe. “I just wanted to say thank you. For what you did. For just... saving the little boy. I think it was... amazing, the way you just went there and saved him, and then when you got here and you were worrying about the tigers... it’s amazing.”

“Shiva was the one that protected him. I just stopped in to help.”

“And almost got made into a hula skirt in the process, boss.” Jerry quips from his place by the door of the car which he has opened so that Ezekiel can slip into.

“Jerry.” Carol hears Ezekiel warn in a playful tone.

“I just... I just wanted to say thank you. That’s all.”

Ezekiel smiles at her, his eyes looking straight into hers as if he’s seeing straight into her soul and reading every secret she’s ever kept. She has to look away before she makes a fool of herself. Her face continues to flame to the point that she can feel the tip of her ears burning. “You are welcome, my angel.”

Her head snaps up as soon as she hears the term of endearment. Does he remember? Does he really know who she is? Wide-eyed, Carol stares at him as he turns his whole body towards her before leaning against the side of the car, staring at her with a smirk as she struggles to understand what just happened.

“You... re...remember?” She stutters.

“Of course I do. I don’t believe I shall ever forget the bluest eyes in the world or the softest voice I’ve ever heard.” Ezekiel seems to grin bigger as the pink hue on her skin darkens. “Thank you for looking out for me.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” She says. Carol bites her lip and takes a step further towards him. “I’m just glad we were able to put you back together.”

Ezekiel clears his throat and looks down. Carol can’t quite see if he’s blushing but by the way his whole demure has changed, the way he’s holding himself and the way he is avoiding her eyes, she thinks he might be embarrassed about something. “I... I don’t remember all of it.” He admits. “But I do believe I made some advances while I was recuperating. I hope I was not obscene.”

She shakes her head right away. He hadn’t been obscene at all, in fact, he had been the opposite; he’d called her angel, he’d said she was beautiful and complimented her eyes and freckles. “You weren’t.” She quickly assures him. “You were actually very... endearing. You kept repeating I was an angel.”

“I still believe that to be true.”

She blushes once more and dips her head to look down at her feet in an attempt to hide her flaming face. Ezekiel must have noticed her blushing because he gives a soft chuckle and continues. “You certainly are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”

Unable to stop herself, Carol raises her face and smirks. “Are you sure you aren’t still suffering the effects of the anesthesia?” She teases.

Ezekiel laughs though his laugh is cut short by the stiffening of his side which quickly reminds Carol of the reason they met. He tries not to wince, tries to keep his expression neutral, but she can see that he needs to rest. “I should probably let you go.” She admits. “You need to go home and rest, not stand around waiting.”

She doesn’t want to go, doesn’t want to let him go. She fears she’ll never see him again. Carol has to remind herself that he’s no longer a patient and that their time is up but it’s so hard to close the conversation and turn away.

“Take care.” She finds herself saying in a tone that almost resembles a beg. “The world needs more people willing to save others. We can’t afford to lose you.”

“I promise I will,” Ezekiel replies as he readjusts himself and slowly lowers his body until he is sitting on the passenger side, his body still facing hers.

Carol gives a little nod as she fights the overwhelming urge to continue taking up his time. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Payton.”

“Ezekiel.” He corrects her right away. His eyes fall until they find her nurse identification. “It was nice to meet you too, Ms. Mason.”

“Carol.” She insists as fast as he had. “My name is Carol.”

“Carol. It was nice to meet you.”

Carol smiles a sad smile for she knows she is about to never see him again. “Goodbye.” She whispers before giving a shy little wave.

She turns away before she does something that will embarrass both of them, something like writing down her phone number on his arm’s cast. She bites her lip painfully as she starts walking away, the dread and sadness increasing with every step that she takes.

She barely knows Ezekiel, they are nothing more than mere acquaintances whose paths crossed because of an accident, and yet she feels like she’s walking away from the best thing that has ever happened to her. Why? Why does she feel this way? Why does she want to go back to him and tell him how he had asked to court her and finally answer his question? She’s never been affected this way by any of her patients, what is so different about Ezekiel?

“Carol!? Wait!” She stops the moment she hears her name and turns sharply, a smile on her face almost as soon as she sees him trying to get up to go to her.

“No, no, you’ll hurt yourself.” She shakes her head at him, her hands raising to signal him to stop as she closes the distance between them once more.

“I can’t let you go, I can’t let you exit my life without taking the chance,” Ezekiel explains. “You have enchanted me in a way no other woman ever has. I... I wish to have the chance to court you, to get to know you. Would you please consider my offer?”

Carol smiles a little guilty smile. She pauses as if to consider his question even though she knows full well that she will say yes. “I thought you’d never ask again.” She finally admits. “I’m not allowed to date patients. It’s in the rules.”

Ezekiel’s hopeful expression falls and makes her regret her words right away even though she had been preparing a joke. Quickly she continues. “Good thing you aren’t my patient.”

The light fills his eyes again, making his lips pull into a beautiful smile that tugs at her heart. God, she hopes things turn out good between them because she can’t wait to put her theory of the softness of his lips to the test. “I’ll give you my phone number. You can call me when you are feeling better. Or... before if you just... want to talk.”

Ezekiel nods but continues to stare at her. She waits for him to ask for paper or to reach for something to jot down her number, but Ezekiel simply looks at her.

“You don’t want to write it down?” She asks a little unsure.

“I’ll remember it,” Ezekiel assures her.

Behind him, Jerry’s face pops up with a childish grin of his own. She hasn’t even notice him entering the car. “He’ll remember it!”

After giving him her phone number, Carol gives him a playful shake of the head then urges him to go rest with a dip of her chin towards the front of the car. “Go on. Go rest.”

“I will call you,” Ezekiel promises as he finally pulls his body into the car and Carol closes the door.

How bad is it that she wants to tell him she will be waiting for his call?

Something tells her that even if it’s bad, Ezekiel will not mind hearing it. She leans down so that she can look through the car window. “You better. I’ll be waiting.”

“Until next time, my angel.”

“Take care of him, Jerry.” She begs even though she doesn’t turn to look at the jolly man.

“Will do, Ma’am.”

She watches silently as the car starts to pull away. She has to remind herself that she will see him later for fear that the ball of anxious energy formed in the pit of her stomach will bubble up and take away her breath. Carol gives him a little wave as Ezekiel finally moves out of sight but stays at the curve side until the car is nothing but a spot of color on the horizon.

A sigh of happiness is born deep within her chest and leaves her slightly parted lips in a rush. She can’t wait until she talks to him again, until she sees him again and they go on their date. Hope for the future floods her and leaves her grinning like a lovesick fool.

It’s the beeping of her hospital pager that reminds her where she is at and it’s the years of training that makes her quickly bounce back into nurse mode. “Shit.” She says under her breath as she reads the message. Multiple care pileup. She has no time to waste, lives depend on her and her ability to focus.

She’ll have to daydream about Ezekiel and their future later. Now she needs to work. Without a second of hesitation, Carol rushes into the hospital, ready to help save as many lives as she can.

In her pants pocket her phone flares up with a notification of a still, for now, unknown number. A notification she will find later on.

_‘Though the waiting until we meet again seems eternal, I cannot help but think of you, my angel.’_

The End.

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been in my mind for quite some time but for some reason didn't allow itself to be written until now! I hope you enjoyed!


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